The Legend of Loki
by KattRai
Summary: Loki falls from the bifrost onto Jack Frost and straight into the Hunger Games. They form an unlikely alliance with some local heroes. But when Katniss gets kidnapped by a dragon, they must all embark on a journey of epic proportions to rescue the sort-of-damsel in almost-distress.
1. Chapter 1

1

Loki fell out of the sky.

He wasn't sure how he'd gotten there – must have fallen through the Bifrost – all he knew was that there was a bunch of snow in his face. He stood up and dusted himself off.

"Something _fell_ on me."

Loki then realized the ground was moving up and down, as if emulating the breathing of a creature. He stared down at the form beneath him. The kid motioned for him to move off. Loki paused for a moment, then stepped aside, off of him.

The boy rolled over onto his feet, then stood up. "Who are you? Where did you come from?"

"I am Loki of Jodenheim and Asguard. Where is this place – what realm?"

"Umm… Canada, I think…? …Like, East Alaska? Far East Alaska." He frowned, looking mildly confused at this whole situation.

"Canada… As in on Earth?" Loki pressed.

"Where else would it be? And, um, _where_ did you say you were from? Is that in Sweden?" It was obvious that the situation was getting no better. "Oh, and I'm Jack Frost, thanks for asking."

"I _didn't_ ask." Loki told him flatly, making no implication that he cared in the least. "And no, it is not in Sweden."

"_You're_ helpful…" Jack frowned, rolling his eyes. He then saw something fly into a tree, getting lodged there, and his eyes lit up. "Hey, wanna go sledding?" he asked, jumping up to retrieve the shining disc.

Loki stared on apprehensively. "Wha-? No, I don't want to go sledding with you-"

"Check this thing out!" He pulled the disc out of the tree, gazing at the red, white-and-blue pattern. "What's it made out of, anyway?" He knocked on it with his fist.

"Americium, I believe. Now, put it down!"

"No, I like it. I think I'm 'onna keep it." He held it out in front of him, polishing off a little spot from where it hit the tree, then glanced down the hill with a grin. "Hey, wanna race?"

"No, I _want_ to figure out where I am," Loki told him in slight irritation.

"Last one to the bottom starts the fire!" Jack shouted, throwing down the shield and jumping onto it like a snowboard. He took off.

Loki sighed heavily, shaking his head, but took a step forward. In doing this, though, he slipped in a snow drift combined with ice, and fell, sliding down the hill after Jack.

When he slid to a stop, Jack was standing there with a grin on his face. "You lose! …And, don't know how to have fun," he added, his demeanor falling slightly.

Suddenly the two heard the sound of a cannon firing. Loki looked up, somewhat bewildered. "What was that?" he asked, looking back down at Jack.

"Dunno. Happened once or twice so far today. Wanna check it out?" Jack shrugged slightly, then turned to walk off, looking over his shoulder.

Loki stood there a moment longer. _I suppose standing here is getting me no answers, so I may as well._ He nodded semi-reluctantly, and followed Jack.

As they walked, Jack froze, stopping dead in his tracks. He heard the sound of a little girl crying, and looked around. "Did you hear that?" he asked quietly, turning to Loki. He too stopped for a moment, then nodded.

"A child's crying."

"I should see if I can help." Jack didn't wait for a response, and leaped onto a raised embankment. Looking down, he saw footprints below him, and dropped down. In the rise was a cave of sorts, with a little girl inside. When she heard him, she tried to silence her cries. "What's wrong, do you need help?" Jack asked quietly, kneeling in front of the hollow.

She stared, wide-eyed. "You're… You're friendly…?" she whispered, looking very frightened.

"Um… yeah…?" Jack's blue eyes turned concerned, as this wasn't a response he was generally used to – nothing so far had been normal, especially not finding a little girl alone in the snow. "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Do you know who the cannon was for?" she asked, not answering Jack's question.

"No. We don't know _what _the cannons are for." He told her, growing more worried by the moment.

"They mean someone died," she sniffled, wiping her face.

"Died?" Loki slid down the embankment, far more gracefully than the previous tumble, and the little girl huddled back into the shadows of the cave, peeking out to see who had spoken. Loki stopped to stand behind Jack a few feet.

"Is _he_ friendly?" she asked, looking both skeptic and intimidated. "He doesn't look friendly."  
>"I suppose that depends."<p>

"You're friendly if you don't want an arrow in the back of your head," a voice cut the snow-muted forest.

"Now _there's _an attitude I can appreciate," Loki said with a half-grin.

"And who are you?" The girl asked, clearly from behind. He could hear a bow being drawn.

"Woah, woah – we don't want any trouble," Jack jumped up, backing a step or two defensively. "I was just coming to comfort a crying child, okay?"

"Katniss, I think it's okay. I mean, they haven't killed Prim." A second voice joined the conversation.

"Katniss, Peeta, you're okay!" Prim jumped up and pushed between Loki and Jack to hug the battle-readied Katniss. She put her bow and arrow down to hug her little sister.


	2. Chapter 2

2

The group sat inside the cavern of the cave, a squirrel now roasting over a fire and a rock pushed over the entrance. Loki sat a slight distance from the fire, leaned up against a wall. "So… Anyone care to explain what exactly is going on here?" He asked, looking at Katniss and Peeta.

"Um… Yeah, we're in a fight to the death. Didn't you get that memo on the way in?" Katniss stared at Loki, not looking particularly kind.

"I don't think I _saw _them on the way in," Peeta broke in, glancing from Loki to Jack. "You'd think we'd remember a kid with white hair and someone who dresses like _that."_

"Quite sorry – I didn't have time to change when I _fell_ out of Asguard," Loki told him rather coldly.

"Well, how did you get in here then?" Katniss asked.

"Again, I fell. Out of Asguard. Through a portal." Loki reiterated.

"I just walked in here – is this like an arena?" Jack chipped in, leaning forward.

"That's exactly what it is. But something's gone wrong, because we've not had any intervention from the Capitol in weeks. It's like a connection's been broken." Peeta looked around mysteriously as he said that as if looking at the outside of the arena.

"So, do you guys at least have any weapons, or…? It's really kind of a free-for-all in here, some people don't get that the games aren't really still in motion." Katniss asked.

"Oh, then I'm glad I didn't forget to grab my magic on the way out," Loki responded sarcastically. "Of course I have a weapon. What respectable warrior would leave home without one?"

"Um… I have a shield. And snowballs. And ice – does that count?" Jack looked at Katniss, feeling like a bit of a fish out of water under the circumstances.

"Hey, I saw the shield – it's nice. Ugly paint job, but a nice shield," Peeta turned to Jack.

"Can you fight?" Katniss asked.

"I fought fear incarnate once," Jack replied.

"Well… I suppose that's good enough."

Peeta, Jack, and Prim had all three fallen asleep. Katniss found herself unable to sleep and Loki wasn't even tired in the least bit. "So…" Katniss said, awkwardly trying to make conversation in the silence. "You're kinda tall."  
>"Fairly average where I come from. Well, technically, fairly short where I actually come from – but that's a long story."<p>

"It's a long night." She responded, looking at him curiously.

"Do you want to hear it?" Loki asked, a bit awkwardly, glancing at her sideways.

"Sure. Got nothing better to do with my time."

Loki nodded, and began the tale of how he had learned of his lineage.

"So… You and your brother don't get along, then," Katniss deduced once he finished.

"Considering we've tried to kill each other a few times, no."

"That… Sucks… I guess your brother wasn't successful, since you're still alive. Is he?" Katniss looked over at Loki.

"He is, unfortunately, still alive. Almost succeeded – but I do think I might have missed him if he'd died." Loki said reflectively.

"I couldn't imagine trying to kill Prim – I volunteered to die for her." She looked back at the fire.

"That's sweet." For once, there was no sarcasm in his voice.

"You're not as bad as I thought you were."

"I wouldn't say _that_."


	3. Chapter 3

A few days had passed since Katniss and Loki's conversation in the cave, and there had been little trouble from the other tributes. Sometimes they could see footprints in the snow nearby, and once even caught sight of another tribute as he ran off once spotted. Other than that, though, there was nothing to interrupt the tranquility of the forest.

Loki and Peeta were sitting on top of the cave, watching as Primrose and Jack played in the snow below. Prim stopped when she noticed Katniss immerging from the cave herself. "Hey Katniss, I'm hungry!" she declared.

"Well, I can go fishing, and Katniss, why don't you go out hunting?" Peeta suggested, jumping from the top of the cave.

"Sounds good," Katniss agreed, starting to wander off into the woods.

"Hey, no offense, but if you're hunting, don't you need something to, y'know… hunt with?" Jack called after her.

Katniss nodded, but didn't say a word, and went back to the cave. Loki had jumped down from the top of the cave himself by then, and when she passed him, she paused and said, "Watch those two for me while we're gone."

He nodded.

"Why isn't Katniss back yet?" Primrose whined, finishing her fish.

Peeta shrugged. "Maybe she just hasn't gotten anything yet. You know how stubborn she gets."

"It's getting dark. Maybe we should go find her?" Jack suggested, looking slightly concerned.

"Maybe she just doesn't want to come back ashamed, without even a single kill." Loki shrugged, looking as if it was perfectly normal for hunters to go out and not return for days.

"Perhaps… Does anyone think we could go find her?" Jack asked, not looking very convinced.

"If she's not back by morning, then we will." Peeta assured him. "For now we ought to sleep."

With that, the fire was brought down slightly and everyone laid down to sleep.

Halfway through the night, though, Loki woke up and found himself unable to fall back asleep. It only took a moment to examine the cave and realize Katniss had still not returned. He got a feeling in the pit of his stomach that something was terribly wrong, and sat up. He quietly left the cave. Looking up at the sky, he supposed it wasn't past two in the morning. _Surely, if she had any skill at hunting at all, she would have caught something. She shouldn't be out this late anyway – it's dangerous for women to be alone at night, especially somewhere like this, _he thought, looking around at the dark trees.

At that, it was decided for him that Loki would go and try to find Katniss. He located her footprints, and followed. Before too terribly long, the muffled sounds of people talking caught Loki's attention. He stopped, listening carefully to see if he could make out their words. He could understand parts of the conversation.

"Why is he waiting?"

"I don't understand… Kill her now."

Loki immediately realized that there was some kind of hostage situation afoot, and turned his attention in the direction of the voices. He approached carefully, edging his way toward what could now tell was a camp.

Three guards were sitting out, guarding a knocked out – and tied up – Katniss. The third guard began to speak. "Him and his stupid night hunts. If he hadn't been so eager to go out and hunt just 'cuz it's dark, she'd be dead!"

"Well, he already located _their _camp. He found it himself. Maybe he's there now, killing the others in their sleep."

Then it clicked. The tribute whom they had seen in the bushes the day before must have been the leader of this rival faction. And knowing he now knew, Loki could swiftly devise a plan.

"Hey! Wake her up!" Loki had taken on the appearance of the tribute, and strode out confidently into the clearing. "I got sick of waiting to kill her. I'm gonna do it myself." He walked up to where Katniss was tied, and kicked her in the ribs. She jerked, shocked by the strike. "Untie her and I'll take her out."

The others silently complied, untying her from the tree with her hands still bound. Loki yanked Katniss to her feet and grabbed her bow. "It'll be all the more tragic for her to die by her own bow," he mocked, sneering.

He dragged her out into the treeline as she struggled. Once Loki was sure they were safely out of sight, he pulled out a dagger and cut off the ropes binding Katniss's wrists. "What-?" She looked over her shoulder, then turned back to her captor, only to see Loki walking  
>beside her. "What just happened? Weren't you just-?"<p>

"Don't ask questions. I can't offer an explanation. Just walk." He cut her off briskly. "We have to move to a new camp. They know where you and your family are staying, and they definitely plan to kill you all. How many are at that camp?"

"At least five," Katniss told him, looking startled.

"And here I thought Peeta said you were a competent women."  
>Katniss responded with a death glare, which Loki gracefully ignored. "I'm perfectly competent."<p>

"Then why, dear, were you tied up to be slaughtered like a pig?" Loki shot back.

Katniss walked the rest of the way back in a cold silence. Loki made no attempt to apologize.

The next day, Katniss woke up early to pack up and head out. "We can't say at this site anymore," she told Peeta. "Something happened and another group of tributes knows where we are and plans to kill us."  
>"But how do you-?" Peeta began to ask, but his question fell away as she walked off.<p>

Before long, everything was packed and they took off. "There's a good place out East of here," Jack suggested. "It's a stream with these really steep rock sides and it's not all deep, so that's a good place, right? I mean, it's deep enough for fish, but not deep enough that you'd drown if you got caught in the water."

Peeta looked at him curiously. "How would you know that?"

"I can fly. The wind just kinda takes me wherever." Jack pulled his shield out and jumped into the wind on it. "Follow me!" he yelled back.

"That reminds me of something I saw in New York. Something on the television – a movie, maybe? Or a commercial. Nothing they played on that thing was interesting enough to make the difference all that clear." Loki shook his head, obvious disenchanted with American media.

"Nobody around where I'm from has been able to afford televisions. Wherever this New York is, it must be near the Capitol." Katniss told him.

"Hey, did you guys miss the memo?" Prim called back, having run ahead. "C'mon, we're supposed to be following Jack!"

Loki shook his head in slight amusement. These people were a good source of entertainment – even the jealous boy had his moments. Well, he hadn't said anything, but it was more his mannerisms than anything.

"Suppose we should try and keep right up with them?" Loki asked, not bothering to look over.

Katniss shook her head. "Nah. Those two have way more energy than Peeta or I." She smiled some.

"It's a fairly average energy level where I come from. Well – the ones I'm thinking of eat far more, but fight for hours." Loki threw her a glance.

"Fight?" Katniss turned toward him.

"The culture I was raised in is generally considered rather savage," he explained, realizing Katniss really didn't know anything about Asguard. "Most are very boisterous, drinking and eating all the time. Training for battles, and fighting when they get the chance."

"It doesn't sound like you fit into that scene at all," Katniss observed.

"I really didn't. I did my fair share of battle, too, but I never was as quick to arms. The number of bar fights I've quietly watched from the corner is simply amazing." He gave a slight chuckle, realizing how many his brother had been involved in.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a smile from Katniss. "It sounds like the opposite of where I'm from. Most everyone's too poor to be able to spend time in a bar – those that do never leave because they're afraid to confront what's outside."

"Hey! You're falling behind!" The call was from Peeta, who was, indeed, a good few yards ahead. "Hurry up, or you'll get left behind."

After about a day's travel, they reached the stream. As Jack had said, it had deep sides and rocky banks. Loki could make out the shapes of a few fish every now and then. The group made their way down, and settled in a dip near a small waterfall that fell a few feet into a pool. Jack sat on a large, flat rock nearby, relaxing against another large rock that leaned back slightly behind him. "See? River. Fish. Food. Camp."

"Yes!" Prim was tired a day of walking, and flopped down next to him. "Finally!"

"Hey, Loki," Peeta walked over, and Loki looked up at him. "We haven't had anything to eat all day. Why not go fishing with me? Katniss can get a fire started while we're gone." He glanced over at Katniss, who nodded.

Loki paused, but saw no harm in it. "Alright, then."

"I'd bet there's a nice spot up the stream some ways." Peeta gestured and led Loki along the course of the stream, mostly in silence. Peeta handed him a fishing spear.

They worked for awhile, and after Peeta had successfully caught two fish, he stopped and turned to Loki. "I'd appreciate it if you could back off some," he said, somewhat threateningly.

Loki sat up and looked at Peeta, apparently unfazed. "Back off? How so?"

"I can _see _you."

"I should certainly hope so – I'm standing right here, after all," Loki told him, not taking anything Peeta was saying seriously.

"I mean with Katniss," He clarified, seeming increasingly frustrated with Loki. "All day, all you've done is hang back and talk with her. So I'm saying back off."

Loki paused, giving something like a short laugh. "You mean to say-? Oh, that's wonderful. Well, all I can tell you is that you have nothing to worry about. I will cause you no problems at all. To think such a thing…" Loki turned away from Peeta, and it was left at that.


	4. Chapter 4

The day ended with little to no incident after that. Neither Loki nor Peeta brought up the fishing incident again, though it clearly had resulted in a bit more animosity on Peeta's part. For the most part, the others didn't really seem to notice, and the camp that Jack had brought them to was safe. A couple mornings later, Jack had gotten bored. He didn't really know what it was he was up do – he just wanted to explore, and that's what he did. He left the safety of camp and ventured a good way into the forest, and his mistake was doing so alone. After all, though the faction that had gotten Katniss imprisoned was left far behind, they were not the only tributes in the woods. Rather, there were more out there also far from friendly. Jack froze, as he heard something in the woods. In a one-on-one battle, Jack probably would have been fine assuming that he knew what was coming, but all too well he knew he was vulnerable to something he cannot see – Pitch had once made that abundantly clear. And when someone came at him from behind, Jack was not in a position to defend himself. Back at camp, from the direction Jack had gone there was a draft of cold air. Obviously it was something of Jack's, as the weather had actually improved a deal. "What was that?" Katniss asked with a frown. "Jack," Prim responded worriedly, as something seemed terribly wrong to everyone – if there was a draft like that, Jack was never far behind, but now there was no sign of him – clearly, he had to use whatever ice powers he'd told them about. Then there came a cannon's fire. "We have to go look for him," Prim told them, apparently very anxious. Katniss and Peeta stood up – neither looked exactly relaxed themselves – and the group carefully went after Jack. They found him, lying on the leaves, a few spikes of ice on the trees about him. Jack had been stabbed in the stomach, with very little time to fight back. Where the tribute had killed him went, they couldn't tell, but Primrose let out a cry and ran over, falling to her knees next to him. The others hung back. "I can't believe this," Katniss stared at him, shaking her head. "We shouldn't have let him go out alone. I thought he'd be able to handle himself, and he's gone." For several long moments, there was silence. Finally, Loki spoke very quietly. "Well… Maybe not quite." This sounded quite tentative, unsure. "…Maybe." "What do you mean?" Katniss looked at him, her voice sharp and somewhat cold. "To say the least," Loki told her, "I have, well… I have connections." "Connections to death," Peeta stated, clearly not taking that seriously. Loki simply ignored him. He took a few steps away, and muttered, "Oh, I can't believe I'm trying this," then rose his voice. "Katniss, Peeta, get Prim away from there. Hold onto her… Assuming this works, you'll have never experienced anything like it and I guarantee you'll fall. So be ready." "What?" Katniss frowned, but complied anyway, pulling a still-crying Primrose to her. "I'd suggest holding onto her," Loki told Katniss. "She's so light she'll go head over heels. Oh, I can't believe I'm going to try this," he said again. Then he looked up when the group had congregated, and, with something of a deep breath, he called, "Heimdall!" After a moment, Loki looked down. "Of course. I'm not surprised that he shouldn't respond-" He was cut off as the world exploded into light and sound of the Bifrost. When they landed, Loki kept his balance but as he had predicted, Katniss, Peeta, and Primrose tripped. Katniss gasped. "What the h-" "I thought it was Thor who was fond of bringing mortals to Asgard," a voice cut her off – that of Heimdall himself, who stepped down off the pedestal he stood upon. "Very funny." Loki didn't sound amused, of course, and immediately made his way toward the exit of the observatory. "Let's go, we haven't got any time to waste." "Wait, why don't you tell me where we are?" Katniss called. "And how we got here? Or who the gold statue is?" Peeta added sharply. "He's Heimdall, this is Asgard, you got here through the Bifrost," Loki explained briskly, only pausing for a moment. "Odin will not be pleased with your presence today," Heimdall warned. "Just today?" Loki asked, seeming to brighten some into a more typical attitude for the god of mischief. "Thor has brought bad news," Heimdall told him. "And apparently, more is to come." "Well, I suppose it's a wonderful thing for him, then, that he is not who I'm here to see," Loki told Heimdall, turning back to leave. The three tributes ran to catch up with him. As they walked along the bridge, after several awe-struck moments, Katniss asked, "Who are we going to see, then?" "My son," Loki told her, drawing ahead. "What?" Peeta asked, but by then, Loki had already drawn ahead of them. ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ By the time they reached the stables, of course, Heimdall had alerted Odin and, by extension, Thor. Of course, Loki making a b-line for the horses was utterly confusing to his companions, but he made no attempt to explain. As he walked toward the barns, he was stopped by several guards, Odin, and Thor. "We have plenty to deal with," Odin told him. "We do not need you to put up with, as well." "Then I shall take Sleipnir and be off," Loki told him. "And what gives you the right-?" Odin began. "I am his – just- give me the horse! I need to visit my daughter!" Loki snapped. "Your daughter?" Thor frowned, looking unsure now of his intentions. "Yes, I need to go to Hel," Loki told him, sounding unusually casual about that. "I'd say," Peeta mumbled. Thor paused then to point Mjolnir at Peeta. "I like that one," he announced. "So does District 12," Katniss told the god of thunder. "Where is this 'District 12?'" Thor asked curiously. "We're here for a horse, not a history lesson," Loki cut in. "And what business do you have with Hel?" Odin redirected the conversation back to what had been mentioned before. "That one," he said, gesturing toward Primrose, "Lost her friend today and somehow I get the feeling that I can get him back. He was murdered," Loki added meaningfully, "by another child, not over 18, not under 7, and had their name drawn from a hat in a fight to the death against some other 35 children by the government." He paused. "You wouldn't let me rule them, and look where it's gotten humanity." Odin didn't respond to that. Rather, he gave an irritated sigh, and said, "If you are to take Sleipnir, you must also take Thor." "They come as a package now?" Loki sneered. "But father, I…" Thor began. "I don't care what you have to do, Thor, I won't leave my horse with Loki," Odin told him. Thor looked as if he wanted to protest a few moments longer, but said nothing. "So be it." ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ "I thought you said we were going to see your son," Katniss said, frowning. Sleipnir had been saddled and bagged with provisions, and a few more horses were supplied for Katniss, Primrose, Thor, and Peeta. Loki turned from where he was finishing tacking Sleipnir up. "We did," he told her before hoisting himself up onto the grey horse without any more clarification. "This guy is shady. I don't trust him… Still," Peeta mumbled to Prim. "And you are right not to," Thor interrupted with a slight nod. "Never trust Loki. He is incapable of sincerity and thrives on lies." "Sounds like you have a problem with him," Peeta observed. "Many years ago, Loki attempted to usurp my father's throne. When that failed, he attempted the same thing on earth," Thor told him. "Those incursions have since fallen into the past, but Loki is still not trusted in Asgard." 


End file.
